Introducing Odom
Preliminary render
Kite Studio’s concept development for a mixed-use space
Conceptual sketch
Detail
Sky village
How can we create office space for employees to look forward to every day?
Commercial Podium
Residential Lobby
Odom residence
We are excited to announce the company’s largest project to date - Odom. Located in a prime location along Norodom Boulevard in Phnom Penh, Odom will be a showcase of mixed-use high rise for Cambodia.
A joint venture between ULS and the landowners, Odom came about by observing hundreds of young businesses emerging in the city in need of affordable office space that still included design, function and amenities to keep staff excited. ULS met several businesses located at Factory Phnom Penh outgrowing their space within a year of moving in. Looking at the current commercial market, these SMEs found limited options for expansion on site and few external spaces that offered the same amenities, community, and excitement found at Factory. ULS saw an opportunity to provide the next space.
Office Space for the Next Generation of SMEs
Much of the new office space coming online in the city was “Grade A,” coming in at $3,500 per square meter and above, outside of the range for many of the small and medium enterprises emerging in the market. ULS Directors started to consider - where do these young businesses go next? The era of running a professional company out of a converted villa or shophouse is over, but what options do they have if unable to afford Grade A or B pricing?
ULS’ solution was to take findings from Factory - providing well-designed space with amazing amenities, community activities, quality construction - and offer Grade B space at Grade C pricing. Not only that - ULS decided to make the office space strata offices, allowing these young firms to build an asset rather than just pay rent. The current concept houses more than 50,000 square meters of net office space for sale.
SINGAPOREAN DESIGN FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY AND USABILITY
ULS engaged Kite Studio Architecture from Singapore to lead this design challenge. Known for their unique approach to commercial spaces that put people at the center of their design and for maintaining a commitment to regional materials, Kite has experience ranging from amazing unique homes to high rises in Singapore. Khairudin “Khai” Saharom of Kite Studio worked with the concept brief from ULS’ Directors Leang Kean and Corbett Hix, diving deep into the challenge of building an integrated high rise project on a moderate footprint.
He dispelled with the common idea of a single, large tower in favor of an asymmetrical approach. While each of the main buildings has core functions, his idea was to mix things up to bring aspects of each into both buildings.
Villages in the Sky
The structure is divided into two towers, connected by a six-floor podium, each with its own function. The North commercial tower is broken into five villages. Each of these building segments houses a green enclave providing an outdoor escape and access to food and beverages retailers. ULS’ goal is to create multiple interaction points that allow residents the opportunity to meet and engage with neighbors and possibly new clients from other offices without being limited to only the elevator journey to the ground floor. Segmenting the building into smaller and more intimate sections helps to reduce the anonymity and isolation found in many office towers.
The roof is to contain a “secret village”, inspired by traditional Khmer houses, the silhouettes providing housing for a members-only club, including restaurant, bar and spa facilities. The sky village on level 15 connects to Odom Living, the smaller residential tower, via a green-laden skybridge 60 meters above the ground, allowing the world’s best commutes for those who both live and work at Odom.
Materials Appropriate for Phnom Penh
Glass facades are commonly proposed for the “wow” factor, but lead to many issues for tenants in a city that regularly tops 30 degrees. ULS worked with Kite to use materials that are more appropriate for the local climate. Odom features a multi-layered cladding combining precast concrete and glass; this allows light in while providing significant shade to allow for passive energy reduction. ULS believes so strongly in the long-term advantages of precast concrete for the Cambodian landscape and climate, ULS founder Leang Kean is investing into a separate business to lead in the development of the first local manufacturer. Not only will this material help to speed construction; it will be more sustainable long term with less overall maintenance.
Water capture will be integrated into the structure to provide both ready-to-use water, but also to cool the structure. Collected rainwater will help to keep the lush gardens green and to reduce the overall water use in the building - from toilets to passive temperature regulation.
The design of the residential tower will incorporate open voids within the building envelope to facilitate natural ventilation and cooling. These voids will also provide natural light in the hallways and will make the lobby areas feel more spacious. This will again provide energy-efficient solutions to improve the comfort in the building and add to the quality of life at Odom Living.
Strata Office Spaces
Offering both strata offices and condominiums, linked by the first-of-its-kind design in Cambodia, Odom aims to be the new highlight of Phnom Penh’s skyline and the number one choice for young hip companies emerging in the city.
ULS believes that the opportunity to buy office space will be attractive to emerging businesses for a variety of reasons. It allows companies to start building a portfolio of assets that will have an immediate return by eliminating the need to pay rent and therefore protecting the business from the ever increasing rental rates, particularly in prime locations like Norodom Boulevard. With the available land to develop real estate in the CBD becoming rarer, property prices are almost certainly going to increase over time making an investment more valuable. ULS’ commitment to deliver well-thought-out designs and high-quality construction will be the key competitive advantages compared to many other developments in Phnom Penh.
Strategic Commercial Podium
Linking the commercial and residential towers is the Podium; a five-story layered garden and commercial space allowing residents and visitors to get coffee or takeaway lunch while enjoying time with friends under the trees or on a grassy knoll.
Not just more of the same - ULS has noticed that there is a lot of redundancy in the retail sector in Phnom Penh (iced coffee anyone?), and yet there are more and more creative businesses emerging on the city’s edges. ULS is currently scouting for young businesses that are doing new, creative approaches to retail, food and beverage. When Odom retail spaces go to market in 2024, we will have a list of unique businesses, ready to expand into second locations or large spaces. Our goal is to provide residents and the commercial community with options that are just as desirable and unique as the space itself - less of the same same.
Residences
Adjacent to the commercial tower and at 29 stories, more than half as tall, is the residential building named “Odom Living”. It is being targeted at Cambodian families and young professionals, featuring spacious apartments for family living as well as affordable one-bedroom homes for young Cambodians looking for well-designed living spaces in the heart of Phnom Penh. ULS will make more detailed announcements on this space later in 2020. Both structures will feature smart elevators that use AI to analyze current elevator demand allowing for faster service with fewer units.
While primarily designed for Cambodian families looking to have their own home in a prime location, Odom Living will also be attractive as an investment. With a workplace for more than 7,000 people next door, there will be no shortage of potential tenants that will be eager to enjoy the Odom lifestyle. The hand-picked businesses in the retail mall and the short, enjoyable commute, combined with the spacious apartments will provide the ultimate live - work - play experience.
What is in a name?
A landmark structure with a memorable shape deserves an equally memorable name. ULS and the landowners worked closely with Ms. Nataly Lee of SAAT Studio to identify a name that would capture both the spirit and the ambition of the project. The Khmer word has no direct translation into English, but captures several adjectives: excellent, supreme, magnificent and plentiful, while
also communicating a feeling of strength and stability.
Odom also has the benefit of being easy to say for many non-Khmer speakers, allowing it to work in several languages with the hard “d” and final “m” sounds providing a sense of stability across multiple languages.
The brandmark or core logo emanated naturally from the form of the primary tower. Everyone in the team gravitated immediately to this shape which was originally created as a temporary motif on early drafts of the project. After a bit of debate, everyone felt that the building shape was so iconic that it stood on its own and SAAT used this as a jumping off point to develop a warm color palette that would contrast with the concrete of the core structure. We look forward to seeing how the visual identity evolves as the project reaches final design and into marketing and sales.
Project Snapshot
Units
51,000 SQM office space (68,000 GFA)
10,500 SQM residential space (14,000 GFA)
9,500 SQM commercial space (19,000 GFA)
Amenities
50% office space
30% condominiums
20% commercial (retail stores)
Green space
Cafes and restaurants
Pool
Members-only business club
Sky villages
Meeting rooms
Development Timeline
5 Years
Target Construction Start
DEC 2021
Target Construction Completion
DEC 2024
Target Launch Date
JUN 2020
Target Market
Upper-middle class families and young professionals / Cambodian investors
50% local SMEs (owner-occupied companies with more than 5 employees looking to build asset through office property)
50% foreign investors and larger companies
(those looking to purchase commercial or residential space for investment purposes)
